I posted this on the newbie thread, but figured I would have better luck with responses here.

Fighters cut weight to be at the highest strength/body weight ratio possible. That makes sense to me. What I don't get is why they cut for every fight. They'll cut 40 pounds for a fight, then put it back on right after.. and then cut again, etc.... I mean why not just keep it off? Wouldn't that be easier/just as effective? Wouldn't you retain just as much strength?

What do you think is the optimal body fat % to fight at without being too low?

How much straight water weight does a fighter usually cut right before a weigh in? Obviously too much would leave you dehydrated and weak.. but Im sure most do to some extent.. whats the 'general limit'do you think.

-I realize there is no exact answer.. everyone is different.. im just looking for some opinions/views.

Some fighters walk around 20 lbs heavy getting ready for a fight. Then they diet down to 10-15 lbs ish. Then cut the final water right before the fight then gain most of it back right after weigh-ins...This allows the fighter to be heavier going into the fight. Hopefully heavier than the guy they are fighting. And that = size advantage...sometimes......

Wouldn't losing 10-15 pounds of water weight greatly hinder performance? even drinking tons of water immediately after weigh ins if its the same day I don't think there would be enough time for the body to fully recover from that.

I use to lose 8-9 pounds of water weight every night before a competition in highschool.. and Im pretty sure it messed me up (man I wish I could go back and fix that)

No you learn your limits....you really dont want to cut 15 lbs before but it is possible IF you are use to it....That being said 5-10 lbs seem to be the norm...I lose/gain 5 lbs on average every day when working out....A gallon of water weighs 8 lbs I think

As the poster above me said, you learn your limits. It is much easier to cut 10-40lbs over the course of a month/few weeks than it is to maintain a very strict diet year around. Also, with the training these guys go through to prepare for a fight they would overtrain very quickly if they weren't eating right most of camp. (During a cut one certainly does not eat right)

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It depends man.....on how many calories you take in and burn....If you take in to little and you wont have the fuel to keep goin and your body needs it so it will get it else where (muscles)...you have to find balance

Go to a personal trainer or sports nutrionist and have them calculate your base caloric burn. This will be the absolute minimum calories you should intake each day. Once you have this number you can calculate what your workouts consist of and pretty much everything you do. You need to absolutely stay no where under 20% of your daily burn rate. Especially training your body needs the nutrients still to build and repair muscles, keep your organs healthy and keep other nutrient levels correct.

There is almost an art to properly cutting weight and cutting your food intake. 90% of people who think they are fine cutting 20lbs fast before a fight and starving themselves are doing massive damage to their body.

If you are interested I can direct you toward some stuff for you to read up on.

Absolutely, never hurts to read up on stuff. Im just trying to find that balance of cutting low enough to be as strong as possible while not hurting myself (as you said). Senior year wrestling I cut weight pretty poorly and it definately showed.